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AI in Ministry: How Churches Are Embracing New Technology

Episode Description
In this illuminating episode of the Missional Marketing Podcast, hosts Bart Blair and Jason Hamrock are joined by Dr. David Thorne, Brand Director of AI for Churches. The conversation explores how artificial intelligence is transforming church ministry, with many pastors surprisingly embracing this technology more readily than previous innovations. Dr. Thorne shares practical examples of how AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude are assisting church leaders in content creation, planning, and administrative tasks—enabling them to focus more on their core ministry work while maintaining authenticity and theological integrity.

Key Discussion Points
Churches are actually ahead of many other industries in adopting AI technology, with pastors showing remarkable openness to these new tools
The "closet experimenter" phenomenon: Many church staff are using AI tools privately but hesitate to discuss it openly due to concerns about authenticity
How AI assists rather than replaces thoughtful ministry work—making users smarter and more efficient rather than "doing the job for them"
Ethical frameworks for churches using AI, emphasizing transparency, authenticity, and maintaining human authority over content

Practical Applications of AI in Ministry
Sermon Preparation: Breaking down books of the Bible into thematic sermon series with suggested calendars and outlines
Content Creation: Generating blog posts, sermon summaries, small group questions, and devotionals based on existing sermon content
Policy Development: Creating comprehensive policies with AI assistance that includes considerations you might otherwise miss
Planning and Scheduling: Developing detailed event preparation timelines (like the 6-week Easter preparation plan example shared)

Future AI Capabilities for Churches
Voice agents that could call church database members with personalized invitations to holiday services
Automated follow-up emails to event attendees to maintain connection
Data analysis of attendance and giving records to identify patterns and improve budget forecasting
The potential (though controversial) future of AI-assisted sermon delivery
Resources Mentioned

AI Prompts for Church Leaders:
A book by Dr. David Thorne and Katie Allred available on Amazon -https://www.amazon.com/Prompts-Church...

AI Cohorts:
Four-week training sessions ($99) teaching church leaders how to effectively use AI in ministry - https://ai-for-churches.com/ai-cohorts/

Sermon Spark:
A free AI-powered sermon assistant that can generate high-quality transcripts and help repurpose sermon content into blog posts, small group questions, and more - https://sermonspark.ai/

Final Thoughts
The hosts emphasize that while AI technology is rapidly evolving, churches should view it as a tool God has provided to further the gospel. By establishing clear information and technology policies that value transparency and authenticity, churches can harness AI to reduce administrative burdens and expand their ministry impact. As Jason Hamrock notes, "God gave us AI for the church... AI was actually created to help push the gospel forward."

The Missional Marketing Podcast is produced by Missional Marketing, helping churches reach their communities through effective digital strategies. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts and find more resources at https://missionalmarketing.com